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After months of thinking about it, I decided to dive into self-publishing. I had a short story that I've been working on for a couple months, and I decided to put it out there.
It's exciting, but also super daunting. To be fair, I don't have huge expectations. I don't think I'm going to start a self-published gay BDSM erotica empire anytime soon. I have a feeling that keeping my expectations low will keep me sane. Or at least from getting too disappointed. But it's hard to realize just how much competition there is until you actually put something out there and realize that your story is just a tiny drop in a very big bucket. In terms of getting readership, I may be better off with free sites, actually. But I still like the thought of earning a little extra money, even if it's just enough for the occasional meal out or a video game here and there. I'm not exactly swimming in disposable income at the moment.
I am thinking of putting some stuff up for free in the not-too-distant future, so who knows? Maybe that will help build an audience. One can hope. :)
In the meantime, I'm trying to learn about self-promotion, which is daunting in its own right because I tend not to want to promote my own stuff. Especially when money is involved. It just feels...presumptuous to assume that something I write is worth money, even if it's less than a drink and pastry at Starbucks. And I always worry about my stuff not being good enough. I mean, I don't think I'm a horrendous writer, but I know there's room for improvement and that there are people who are much better than me. I'm realistic like that.
Nevertheless, I am excited to give it a try, even if I feel a bit in over my head at the moment.
It's exciting, but also super daunting. To be fair, I don't have huge expectations. I don't think I'm going to start a self-published gay BDSM erotica empire anytime soon. I have a feeling that keeping my expectations low will keep me sane. Or at least from getting too disappointed. But it's hard to realize just how much competition there is until you actually put something out there and realize that your story is just a tiny drop in a very big bucket. In terms of getting readership, I may be better off with free sites, actually. But I still like the thought of earning a little extra money, even if it's just enough for the occasional meal out or a video game here and there. I'm not exactly swimming in disposable income at the moment.
I am thinking of putting some stuff up for free in the not-too-distant future, so who knows? Maybe that will help build an audience. One can hope. :)
In the meantime, I'm trying to learn about self-promotion, which is daunting in its own right because I tend not to want to promote my own stuff. Especially when money is involved. It just feels...presumptuous to assume that something I write is worth money, even if it's less than a drink and pastry at Starbucks. And I always worry about my stuff not being good enough. I mean, I don't think I'm a horrendous writer, but I know there's room for improvement and that there are people who are much better than me. I'm realistic like that.
Nevertheless, I am excited to give it a try, even if I feel a bit in over my head at the moment.
